# Emirates vs Thai Airways

The clearest difference is rating: Emirates at 4.5 against Thai Airways's 3.3. Emirates also leads on review sentiment (56% vs 15%) and ratings volume (9.8K vs 226). Thai Airways's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Emirates holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emirates has 9.8K ratings behind it against 226, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Emirates's written reviews are positive against 15% of Thai Airways's.

Emirates ships an update every 3 weeks, Thai Airways monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emirates | Thai Airways |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (9.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emirates/id935307149/reviews)** | [3.3 (226 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thai-airways/id1393912966/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.8K** | 226 |
| Positive reviews | **56.5% of reviews** | 14.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#176** | — |
| Size | 295 MB | 161 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emirates](https://appshunter.io/developer/331907534) | [Thai Airways International Public Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1374072448) |

## What reviewers say

### Emirates

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emirates/id935307149)

**Currently charting:** #176 Top Free · Travel (US App Store)

Book flights to over 150 destinations, manage your trip details like meals and seats, and check in online. Receive real-time flight updates and access your loyalty program information.

**Highlights:** Search and book flights, Manage trip details (meals, seats), Online check-in and digital boarding pass, Real-time flight updates, Loyalty program management (Skywards Miles), Apple Watch integration for travel alerts

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient features
- 🚀 Smooth check-in process
- 🚀 Informative and intuitive
- 👍 Excellent app for frequent flyers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and technical issues
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Unreliable app performance
- 🐛 Slow and unresponsive at times
- 🐛 Session timeouts and login problems

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to complete check-in through the app
- Passport and personal details not saving properly
- Seat selection and upgrade functionality not working
- Skywards miles not displaying correctly
- Boarding pass not showing all necessary information

**Requested features**

- Ability to manage family/group bookings with shared miles
- Improved seat selection and upgrade options
- Better integration with loyalty program and account management
- More language support, especially for Arabic
- Streamlined check-in and boarding pass handling


### Thai Airways

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thai-airways/id1393912966)

Book flights, manage reservations, and access exclusive deals. Earn and redeem loyalty points, check flight status, and personalize your travel experience. Enjoy seamless booking and in-app services for a smooth journey.

**Highlights:** Explore deals and promotions, Book flights and manage reservations, Earn and spend loyalty miles, Real-time flight status notifications, In-app check-in and boarding pass, Book ancillary travel services

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to navigate
- 👍 Smooth transactions
- 🚀 Fast and simple booking
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Straightforward app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unstable and unresponsive
- 🐛 Glitches and errors
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer devices
- 🐛 Lacks essential functionalities

**Reported bugs**

- Online check-in not working
- Cannot log in to ROP account
- Booking process often fails or gets stuck
- Passenger details cannot be updated
- App crashes when trying to search for flights

**Requested features**

- Ability to manage Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) account within the app
- Implement e-tickets and Apple Wallet integration
- Add multi-city booking option
- Provide gate information and flight status updates
- Support for multiple languages including Japanese


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emirates free?

Emirates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Thai Airways free?

Thai Airways is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Emirates or Thai Airways?

Emirates is rated higher. Emirates averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.8K ratings, while Thai Airways averages 3.3 from 226 ratings.

### Do Emirates or Thai Airways have ads?

Emirates shows ads; Thai Airways does not.

### Which is updated more often, Emirates or Thai Airways?

Emirates ships an update every 3 weeks, and Thai Airways monthly. Most recently, Emirates was updated on November 1, 2026 and Thai Airways on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*